Menu

Friday Links: A Transformative Mural in Panama City, Redevelopment in Rio, and More

Rio de Janeiro, the host city for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, is currently in the midst of an enormous redevelopment project, which will include a 1.6-kilometer underground tunnel, a new light rail, and a futuristic museum designed by Santiago Calatrava. The plan—to be completed sometime in the early 2020s—is a testament to Rio’s rapidly expanding economy and aspiration to become an international capital, but some fear that building new infrastructure on top of the densely populated favelas will have a negative effect on the lives of the neighborhoods’ inhabitants.

Check out this article on the dynamic history and evolution of the great American stoop—one of New York City’s most iconic architectural elements. The word derives from stoep, Dutch for “step,” a linguistic remnant of the time when New York was New Amsterdam. Over time, the stoop has served different purposes across social classes: for the elite, a signifier for measuring social class; for the less affluent, a key element of day-to-day socialization.

Spanish urban art collective Boa Mistura transformed the façade of a concrete housing block in Panama City’s El Chorrillo neighborhood into a brilliantly vibrant mural. The piece conveys the expression “somos luz” (“we are light”) and acknowledges and celebrates the culturally diverse population within the building and greater community.

Montreal-based architecture firm Appareil designed a site-specific temporary structure called Naves, proposed for Mons, Belguim. the “Capital of Culture” for 2015. The pavilion, made of completely reusable materials engineered to decrease its footprint, fuses innovative technology and elements of the surrounding gothic architecture. The result? A series of weightless, vaulted arches that dissolve into green open space, highlighting the site’s architectural and natural landscape.

A plan for a subway station at Villa 31—one of Buenos Aires’ largest and most impoverished informal settlements—has generated debate about the proposal’s integrity from both a social and engineering standpoint. Engineering experts discredit the proposal, claiming that it is not proven to be technically feasible. However, if realized, the subway will be among the first attempts to make public transportation accessible to temporary settlements within Latin America.

Have a suggestion for Friday links? E-mail bmwguggenheimlab@guggenheim.orgwith your link, first name, and where you’re from. We’re excited to hear from you!